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Thursday, March 28, 2024
UW System STEM programs may provide stepping stones to success following graduation

UW System schools have been gaining traction with research as global companies like Foxconn find their place on campuses.

UW System STEM programs may provide stepping stones to success following graduation

As research and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math programs find their place across UW campuses, administrators and legislators remain hopeful for prosperous job opportunities following graduation.

To keep up with the promise of technological advancements, the UW System has been continuing to stake their claim in the STEM community and the doors they open before students leave with their degrees.

UW System campuses are responsible for filling the gaps of healthcare, science and engineering jobs. Last academic year, there were 9,716 science, technology, engineering and math graduates and 3,460 healthcare graduates.

Both UW-Green Bay and UW-Stevens Point have introduced STEM buildings this year in hopes to promote research efforts on their campuses and connect with the community.

UW-Green Bay invested in a new STEM innovation center that became the home for the Richard Resch School of Engineering and the Einstein Project, a nonprofit that serves STEM education in Wisconsin. With a hopeful opening next fall, they began construction on the building Monday.

In crafting the 2017-’19 budget, Wisconsin Governor Walker focused on state spending. On the grounds of the new UW-Green Bay facility, the governor recognized the necessity for the STEM building in order to generate jobs throughout the state.

The building is a culmination of $15 million, bringing in five million each from state, county and private donations.

UW-Stevens Point has been developing the new chemistry building for years, making it the first new building to break ground on campus in nearly half a decade. Just in time for the start of the academic year, the “largest state-funded building” in the 2013-’15 biennium opened its doors on Sept. 14.

“This investment of state funds in UW-Stevens Point is validation of the exceptional work our faculty and staff perform,”  said UW-Stevens Point Chancellor Bernie Patterson in the Stevens Point Journal. “It’s also validation of our outstanding graduates, who go on to pursue successful careers and meaningful lives.”

The updated facility includes 19 research laboratories and 39 teaching laboratories with equipment that can be recognized in professional biochemical labs. This will also provide a space for students studying majors like biology and chemistry to learn and conduct research.

Contrary to popular belief, the new building doesn’t relate to the funds put towards the academic programs and salaries that the campus has struggled to comfortably organize since Walker’s budget cuts in 2015.

Outside of the programs and equipment on campuses, the community has played a pivotal role in shaping the presence of the UW System on the state. Foxconn, for example, recently announced their partnership with UW-Madison to expand research facilities and provide a wider job field.

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A new research institution will find a home in the College of Engineering to facilitate jobs and encourage students to remain active in the STEM programs at UW-Madison. The university and Foxconn will collaborate on various projects, ranging from robotics to new cancer treatments.

This has not been met without backlash, however. Democratic legislators and the UW-Madison Teacher’s Assistant Association have not been afraid to hide their distrust of the company and their ability to provide stable, safe jobs for their employee.

“In addition to employing child workers and overworked student employees, Foxconn has also stifled collective bargaining and intimidated journalists attempting to document working conditions in its factories,” The TAA wrote in a statement. “Foxconn has no place in a public institution committed to excellence, fairness, and democracy.”

Despite individuals feeling apprehensive about the rising tide of research across the UW campuses, the presence of STEM programs and available job opportunities for students and staff is not likely to come to a halt anytime soon.

“The UW System is widely considered among the best public education systems in the world,” said Ray Cross, the president of the UW System. “Our students and our faculty are in high demand as the innovative thinkers and creative problem-solvers that the 21st century needs and expects.”

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